[Cangetcold]

My only interaction with A.R.E. has been as a customer. I have no other connections to the company, its staff or owners.
I consider myself an experienced fly-fisher. When I started fishing I heard the theory that the reel was only storage for the line and therefore you should save money on reels. Experience has taught me that a reel needs to be good; In those few seconds you have when a fish bites you need to remove slack, adjust drag and start getting that fish in. You need to trust and rely on your reel. However – especially at lighter weights – the reel is still probably the best place to save money as far as fishing equipment is concerned.

I have now been using my A.R.E. 101 for a year and have been extremely happy with it. After reading Pllands comment about the drag I checked the drag on mine and there is no variance at any given setting that I can feel. Mind you – to evaluate drag fairly you have to make sure the line is on the reel does not affect your measurements. I took all the line off the spool except for the last few yards of backing.

All my correspondence with A.R.E. has been has been answered promptly, courteously and efficiently. I ordered a spare reel recently and received a wrong type. A replacement was sent right away without any hassle despite the mistake probably being mine.

I agree with the comment about lack of quality control. My reel had slight markings when I got it and I don’t doubt plland’s comments on the drag – only point out that MY reel does not have that problem.

I have a 4wt rod from A.R.E. that I enjoy using but isn’t anything special. It get’s the job done. It does not compare to my Sage, TFO and Loop rods. Cost me about $50 and therefore comparing it to $200-400 rod’s isn’t really fair.

I also have a WF line from A.R.E. that is OK but nothing special. My first WF line was from a known major brand and I don’t think the A.R.E. line is any worse than that. I think selecting the “best” line is very individual based and what works for one person might not apply to another. I threw away my first major brand line because it didn’t work for me and I cast further and more precisely with my Scierra HMT line than I do with my A.R.E. line. For the price ($15) the lines are worth a try or fine for a beginner.

Based on my experience I have no qualms about ordering these reels from A.R.E. I would however make it clear to A.R.E. that I reserve the right to examine the reel thoroughly and return for a replacement if there is any fault in it and recommend they personally examine the reel they plan on sending me to save all the hassle.

Get what you pay for? Well – I got my reel and extra spool for about $70. With the line and rod the total was around $135. If I go to Cabela’s home page and look at the reels then I can see some major brands (and yes – some American brands) that are offering reels that look a LOT like the 101 or the other Chinese reels that are mentioned in this thread. The price is usually in the $100-120 range, with extra spools at around $50. Paying $70 for a reel and extra spool sure beats paying $150-170 for a Chinese reel and spool with American packaging.